Chicago Fire in-form goalkeeper Chris Brady addressed the media on Thursday. When Bolavip asked him about the players he looks up to, Brady first remembered of Damian Las. Later, he revealed taking inspiration from world-class keepers Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois, and Alisson Becker.
“Yeah, I’ve always said one of the guys I worked with closely in my youth was someone I always worked to be similar to is Damian Las,” Brady said of his former teammate at the Chicago Fire academy.
“To me, he embodied the hard work it takes to be a goalkeeper at the professional level, and he really pushed the limit with speed, power, those type of attributes in the position. So, for me, it’s always been him, and I’ve been lucky I’ve been able to work closely with him.
“On a bigger stage, the world scale, guys that have been around. (Manuel) Neuer, (Thibaut) Courtois, Alisson, these guys. They’ve got a lot of very clean ways they play the position, and that’s stuff we look at every week.
“That’s stuff we discuss, if it’s someone who made a big save or a nice play, we talk about these things. In that way, we would look up to any of those guys.“
Brady’s great form ahead of 2026 World Cup
Brady is enjoying a fantastic moment early in his career. A strong start to the 2026 MLS season saw him make the USMNT roster in March, and even though Brady didn’t log minutes, his presence proves he’s on Mauricio Pochettino’s radar with only a few months to go the World Cup.
The Naperville native picked up right where he left off in his return to club action, posting his third clean sheet of the year to help the Fire beat Nashville 1-0. It was a statement win by Chicago, considering the Eastern Conference leaders were unbeaten before that game.
Brady’s four-save performance earned him a place on the MLS Team of the Matchday for the second time in the campaign, making the Best XI both times.
At 22, the future looks bright for the Fire sensation. It makes sense he tries to take note of what Neuer does at Bayern, Courtois at Madrid, or Alisson at Liverpool. With his current form, Brady is probably inspiring future goalkeepers as well.
